Queen’s is just around the corner on the ATP calendar, but the tournament has already taken several big hits.
The WTA edition of Queen’s is currently underway, with legendary figure Serena Williams having made her comeback to tennis at the prestigious event.
It also features the likes of top 10 players Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova and Victoria Mboko, with their fellow stars Emma Raducanu and Alexandra Eala also involved.
But in stark contrast, the upcoming ATP edition of Queen’s is suffering a nightmare scenario because of the constant high-profile withdrawals.
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Queen’s ATP event suffers nightmare scenario as withdrawals continue
Unexpectedly setting the tone for the ATP 500 tournament in London, Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Queen’s as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.
Since then, the dominoes have been falling rapidly, led by the recent withdrawal of Lorenzo Musetti because of injury.
And joining the Spaniard and the Italian in withdrawing from the event are Luciano Darderi, Valentin Vacherot, Holger Rune and home favorite Jack Draper.
Quite remarkably, and on a disastrous note for tournament organizers and indeed for fans, the withdrawals leave just three top 20 players in the draw.
Alex de Minaur, Jiri Lehecka and Jakub Mensik, who are ranked sixth, 12th and 17th respectively, are now left flying the flag for top players.
Notably, the likes of world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have not committed to the event, which serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev is also not involved in London, instead deciding to take part in the concurrent ATP 500 event in Halle.
Queen’s falls victim to growing ATP injury list
Of course, many top ATP players would have been hoping to play in the tournament in a bid to fine-tune their games for Wimbledon.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to get a feel for the conditions at SW19, with the grass courts certainly taking time to get used to.
But Queen’s has fallen victim to a busy ATP schedule and a growing injury list, which unfortunately includes two-time winner and defending champion Alcaraz.
His absence alone is a massive blow for all involved with the event, which could really struggle to attract big crowds due to the underwhelming entry list.
Notably, the opposite has transpired at the WTA tournament, where fans packed into the Andy Murray Arena to watch Williams play doubles with Mboko.
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